Design and the Art of Freelancing - AWDG April 2009

Design and the Art
of Freelancing
Atlanta, March 2009

Dan Rubin
Sidebar Creative

Design and the Art of Freelancing Atlanta, March 2009

Hi!
Me, according to nGen works @ http://happywebbies.com/

©2009 Dan Rubin » http://sidebarcreative.com


Web
Standards
Creativity
by Dan Rubin
(and 9 other
guys)



Pro CSS
Techniques
by Jeff Croft
Ian Lloyd
Dan Rubin



The weather in
Fort Lauderdale



The weather in
Atlanta



Q:
What is design?



A:
Design is
problem
solving.


Non-virtual
Examples:



Successful.
Waste Reducing
Exfoliating Body
Cleanser (aka
“soap”)
Granted, this may leave you
with smaller bits of waste,
but it’s a creative solution we
can learn from.



Not so much...
Faucet FAIL
If your interface requires
instructions, it needs to be
redesigned.



Fitts’s Law:



The time to acquire a
target is a function of the
distance to and size of
the target.



Big buttons are
faster.



This:
Button

is harder to click than this:

Benjamin Button



Warm-up Exercise:
A right-handed user is known to be within
10 pixels of the exact center of a large,
1600 X 1200 screen. You will place a
single-pixel target on the screen that the
user must point to exactly. List the five pixel
locations on the screen that the user can
access fastest. For extra credit, list them in
order from fastest to slowest access.


3 4

1

5 2


Let’s expand
Fitts’s Law:



Big type
stands out
more than little type.



Large content
areas are easier
to see.


Size explains
hierarchy.



Headings Layout

H1
H2
H3
H4
H5
H6



Size matters:
✓ Bigger targets are easier to click
✓ Larger areas are easier to recognize
✓ Hierarchy communicates importance



Enough with
the lesson
already, let’s
have some fun!


Simple Trick:
Light Effects



Almost any
image can
create an effect


Random image



Select a single pixel line



Stretch to fill



Create a solid color
layer below the image



Use layer blending
modes to modify the
colors of the gradient.



Darken



Multiply



Luminosity



Look to other
mediums for
inspiration.


Use texture to elicit
subconscious tactile
reactions:



Now let’s talk
Business.



Business:
The Basics



Decide whether you
want to be a great
business owner or a
great designer,
developer, or creative…


…for that decision
will define what kind
of life you lead.



Words matter:
Clients treat
“consultants” and
“agencies” better
than “freelancers.”


Spec work: Don’t do it.



Get an accountant.



Always require a
deposit — if a client
wants credit, there
are banks for that.



Estimating gets
easier over time —
track your hours and
make each job more
accurate than the last.


Set invoice milestones
so clients know what is
expected financially.



Business:
Projects



Project management
is the key to sanity
— get someone to
help if needed.



Use software meant
for projects:
Basecamp, Backpack
or something you
build yourself.


Business:
Clients



Choose good clients
who share your
passion, whatever
that may be.



Trust your instincts
with new clients
(this will get easier over time).



Bad clients can
destroy your soul
(fire them if you have to).



Discussion
(this is the part where you’re all on
the couch telling me your problems).



fin.


Design and the Art of Freelancing - AWDG April 2009

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